The following is a commentary from Michael Josephson that was read to me during the end of a Yoga practice by our instructor. It resonated with me immediately and I had to fight back tears as I listened and recounted losing both of my parents suddenly at such young ages (52 & 56). Directly after we were finished with the session, I asked for for this poem and wanted to share it with you in hopes that it may touch you as it did me.
Enjoy!
Tom Beal
What Will Matter by Michael Josephson
Ready or not, some day it will all come to an end.
There will be no more sunrises, no minutes, hours, or days.
All the things you collected, whether treasured or forgotten, will pass to someone else.
Your wealth, fame, and temporal power will shrivel to irrelevance.
It will not matter what you owned or what you were owed.
Your grudges, resentments, frustrations, and jealousies will finally disappear.
So, too, your hopes, ambitions, plans, and to-do lists will expire.
The wins and losses that once seemed so important will fade away.
It won’t matter where you came from or what side of the tracks you lived on at the end.
It won’t matter whether you were beautiful or brilliant.
Even your gender and skin color will be irrelevant.
So what will matter? How will the value of your days be measured?
What will matter is not what you bought but what you built; not what you got but what you gave.
What will matter is not your success but your significance.
What will matter is not what you learned but what you taught.
What will matter is every act of integrity, compassion, courage,
or sacrifice that enriched, empowered, or encouraged others to emulate your example.
What will matter is not your competence but your character.
What will matter is not how many people you knew but how many will feel a lasting loss when you’re gone.
What will matter is not your memories but the memories that live in those who loved you.
What will matter is how long you will be remembered, by whom, and for what.
Living a life that matters doesn’t happen by accident.
It’s not a matter of circumstance but of choice.
Choose to live a life that matters.
This is Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts.
*****
This can be found at Michael’s site at: http://charactercounts.org/michael/2010/01/what_will_matter_6552.html and as an inspirational video format on YouTube at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-Lm_U9yEP0
